ARTICLES ABOUT LUXURY BRANDS BY DATE - PAGE 4

BANGALORE: Bangalore-based Unilog Content Solutions has forayed into luxury retail through a new company Fervour, which will sell Italian brands such as Nina Ricci, DSquared2, Iceberg and Frankie Morello through a licensing agreement. Fervour will start its operations in India from a multi-brand retail outlet in Bangalore. "I had inherited interest for fine living and felt deprived that why these brands are not available in our country. This made me to look for opportunity in the luxury market, which is more confined to Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

MUMBAI: Asset management firm Tano Capital has bought a significant minority stake in Sanghvi Brands, which operates international wellness brands such as L'Occitane spas and Warren Tricomi salons in India, for $10 million, or about Rs 62 crore. Tano Capital, founded by former Franklin Templeton Investments co-president Chuck Johnson, has picked up around 20-30% in Sanghvi Brands, said Sushant Bhansali, vice-president at Ambit Holdings, who advised the transaction. "This is the first round of PE funding for Sanghvi and the investment will be used for its overseas expansions," Bhansali said.

Genesis Luxury founder and MD Sanjay Kapoor says the luxury retailer has resolved its conflict with LVMH Group-owned private equity firm L Capital Asia and that the latter is now committed with its 40% holding in the Rs 200-crore firm. Genesis Luxury, which retails several marquee brands including Armani, Canali and Furla in India, is close to deals with two more global brands, Kapoor told ET in an interview. Edited excerpts: What is the status of the L Capital Asia investment?

NEW DELHI: Italian luxury bespoke clothing company Kiton plans to open at least two exclusive stores in India to tap the country's booming market for super expensive menswear , a top executive said. Kiton, which entered the Indian garment market last year through a master franchisee deal with Mumbai-based Regalia Luxury Clothing, is also considering incorporating a joint venture with a local partner. "We soon plan to open mono-brand stores in India as it is a great market to tap into," Antonio De Matteis , CEO at Kiton, told ET, adding that, for long, rich Indians have shopped for the brand outside the country.

NEW DELHI/PARIS: Luxury goods group Richemont, whose stable of brands includes jewellers Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels, has applied to open shops in India, joining other global retailers who entered the market since New Delhi relaxed investment rules. The entry could be a boost for the country's luxury retail sector, which represents a tiny fraction of global luxury brands' sales but has a fast-rising number of wealthy people. The sector has been hampered by high tariffs, complex legislation and lack of retail space, prompting brands to trade mainly in luxury hotels in Asia's third-largest economy.

NEW DELHI: Swiss luxury watch brand Jaeger-LeCoultre has filed for a 100% single brand application to enter the Indian retail market, becoming the first luxury company to apply for foreign direct investment through this route after it was opened to fully-owned foreign subsidiaries. Jaeger-Lecoultre is owned by Geneva-based Richemont SA that also owns other luxury watch brands including Cartier and Piaget , jewellery brand Maisons and Montblanc pens. Richemont filed the application with the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP)

KUMARAKKAM (KERALA): Iconic Amercian luggage brand Hartmann will be launched in India this year with the first store expected to be opened at Mumbai airport in March. Samsonite South Asia Private Ltd, makers of two well known brands-- Samsonite and American Tourister, which had acquired Hartmann, will introduce the brand in India by March, according to Leo Suh, Executive Vice President Asia, Samsonite Asia Ltd. "The brand will be launched in second or third quarter with the first outlet to be opened at Mumbai airport after the inauguration of the new terminal by march this year, followed by an outlet at Delhi airport by the year-end', Leo, here in connection with the company's dealers conference, told reporters here.

By Lulu Raghavan The Indian luxury story is being scripted amid a resurgence in the global luxury goods industry. Euromonitor data shows a value gain of 3% on 2012, and India is one among five countries with rapidly growing populations (the others are Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil and Mexico) that provide the greatest opportunities for businesses and brands offering luxury goods and services. Luxury brands that will experience the greatest success in India this coming year will be those that employ three strategies: consumer segmentation, experience-enhancing technology and exploiting social media to connect with consumers.

NEW DELHI: Hospitality major Oberoi Group's luxury brand Oberoi Hotels & Resorts has been voted as 'World's Leading Luxury Hotel Brand 2013' at the World Travel Awards (WTA). This is for the second consecutive year the honour has been bestowed on the brand, the Oberoi Group said today. Commenting on the development, The Oberoi Group Executive Chairman P R S Oberoi said: "The award is an affirmation of The Oberoi Group's unwavering commitment towards offering guests world-class facilities and unsurpassed service.

NEW DELHI: When Burberry sells dresses at Rs 24,000 next to those with a 1 lakh price tag, Moet Hennessy offers a bottle of Chandon sparkling wine for just Rs 1,200, and a diamond ring from a high-end jewellery retailer is suddenly just a bit more within reach, it's clear there's a shift taking place in the luxury business in India. A new Chanel store opening at Delhi's Select City Walk mall is a sign, analysts say, that luxury brands are willing to compromise in terms of price points and positioning to woo the new rich emerging from India's middle class.